The entire United States has been battling the opioid overdose epidemic, which claimed more than 28,000 lives in 2014 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ironically, at least half of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid. So, it becomes necessary to check the availability of addictive prescription medicines for unauthorized use.

However, despite stringent federal and state laws, the addicts manage to procure prescription drugs. To prevent that, it’s important to know how they get hold of prescription drugs. Here we take a look at some of the ways addicts usually employ to procure such medications:

Doctor shopping

According to experts, doctor shopping is the practice of visiting various physicians to obtain multiple prescriptions to gain access to such medicines. It is the most common practice of drug addicts and illegal suppliers. A doctor who, for a price, writes prescriptions without the formality of a medical exam or diagnosis is known as a “writing doctor,” as per the Wikipedia.

The addict or the supplier thus stacks a pile of prescriptions to ensure much more drugs than needed. “The States have the primary responsibility to regulate and enforce prescription drug practice,” says the CDC, and there are laws in certain states that prohibit patients from obtaining drugs by any or all of the following means: fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, subterfuge, or concealment of material fact.

Prescription fraud

Addicts apply various tactics to procure prescriptions, like forging or altering prescriptions, generating counterfeit prescriptions, and calling pharmacies by impersonating a physician. However, the chemists are able to make out a false call or a counterfeit prescription from the unfamiliar handwriting and prescribed quantities of the medicine.

If pharmacies want to, they can thwart such illegal practices to a great extent. State authorities can significantly bring down the incidence of prescription drug abuse by seeking help of the pharmacies.

Seeking help of unscrupulous doctors

The addicts often get access to these addictive prescription drugs in connivance with the doctors who want make a fast buck through unethical and illegal means. These erring doctors sometimes write illegal prescriptions to obtain medicines for their own use, sometimes for addicts with a fee, and sometimes even create a huge stockbyroping in the dishonest pharmacies.

Theft of prescription

This has been the oldest and easiest method of obtaining prescription drugs. Addicts resort to theft to get prescriptions and drugs. However, there is a more organized scheme to this, as pharmacies, manufacturers and distributors are also sometimes part of this irregularity.

A huge amount of drugs is diverted through this syndicate, contributing to the great malady of prescription drug abuse in the country. It is important that people related to the pharma industry act responsibly and help the nation in curbing this epidemic.

Online pharmacies

They have been among the biggest source of unauthorized prescription drugs, flooding the market with illicit opioids. These internet pharmacies sell prescription drugs to customers without requiring any valid prescriptions, and the addicts happily buy the drugs at will.

According to a National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) report, these internet pharmacy sites offer benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Valium, narcotic analgesics such as fentanyl, hydrocodone and oxycodone, and stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall. None of the sites have any security procedures in place to prevent children from purchasing these drugs.

Apart from these, there are individual cases of theft, easy availability of medicines at home and unsuspecting family members who take things too casually, adding to the prescription drug abuse menace in the country.

If a loved one is addicted to any prescription drug and you are looking for prescription drug rehab centers in California, the California Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline can help you with the relevant information. Call our 24/7 helpline number 855–738–2770 for immediate assistance. Our experts can offer the best advice to those looking for prescription drug rehab in California.

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